Wisdom From My Mom.

The mind seems to come up with it's best ideas when stress is at a minimum. There is an ancient Chinese adage that says, "Whatever is flexible and flowing will tend to grow - whatever is rigid and blocked will wither and die." Read that again so it can sink in.

I remember when I was a child, we had two trees in our front yard; one was a large oak tree and the other was a willow. I learned from those trees that it is important in life to go with the flow, to be flexible. My Pensylvania Dutch mother knew nothing of Chinese proverbs but I remember her saying, "Richard (to her I was always Richard, never Dick), think about when a big storm comes along. That oak tree always looses some brances. It is hard and stiff, inflexible. However, the willow tree bends with the wind. It never looses its major brances but rahter flows with it."

This is an important concept in life. I lrealize more and more that being rigid and inflexible seldom, if ever, brings about the desired result. This is not only wise for lubricating the machinery of human interaction but also for our own health. A "go-wigth-0the-flow" kind of attitude is healthy from a physical, mental and social point of view.

Are you faced with a tough situation? Are you dealing with difficult people? Is there someone who appears to you to be unreasonable? How about trying to roll a bit more with the punches. Let go of some of your opinions without loosing your core root values. Think about where to bend and maybe give a little. It might not only help the human interacftion but also have a positive health benefit for you. Remember, "Whatever is flexible and flowing will tend to grow - whatever i rigid and blocked will wither and die." Be flexible and flowing in your life. Keep growing.

A bonus thought: During the time I worked as a professional humorist/motivational speaker, I closed many of my presentations by saying, "It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice." What do you think?